


I got this feeling (on a summer day)

by Aethria



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy Hargrove has a Green Thumb, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Season/Series 03, Soft Billy Hargrove, Steve Harrington is a Good Boyfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:41:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24123043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aethria/pseuds/Aethria
Summary: Billy is gardening, but Steve doesn’t think much of it.  He might stare a little longer than he should at the way sweat darkens Billy’s curls.  He might get a little lost in the way his bare back and shoulders glimmer under the sun.  He might even get a little hung up on how Billy’s bright yellow gloves make him look a little endearing.But this thing between them is still new and Mr. Hargrove’s car is parked in the driveway.***Steve knows he isn't that smart, but he's starting to get an idea about Billy and plants.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 8
Kudos: 171





	I got this feeling (on a summer day)

On the first truly warm day of the year, Steve finds himself dropping Max off at home. He’s regretting his decision to wear a jacket today, but his outfit isn’t complete without it. So.

He pulls up in front of the house and waits for Max to grab her stuff. Billy is gardening, but he doesn’t think much of it. He might stare a little longer than he should at the way sweat darkens Billy’s curls. He might get a little lost in the way his bare back and shoulders glimmer under the sun. He might even get a little hung up on how Billy’s bright yellow gloves make him look a little endearing.

But this thing between them is still new and Mr. Hargrove’s car is parked in the driveway. When Max closes the door, Billy turns at the sound, shielding his eyes from the sun and smearing dirt on his face in the process. Steve gives a quick wave to his...whatever Billy is. He forces himself to drive away.

He doesn’t even think about it again until later that night. When Billy rushes to kiss him on his front step, half an hour late.

“Sorry,” Billy murmurs against his mouth. “I had to work on the vegetable garden today and lost track of time.”

Steve didn’t know they had a vegetable garden. Then again, he’s only ever been able to see the front of the house while he drops off Max.

He decides to let it go, too happy with Billy’s tongue in his mouth and Billy’s hands on his hips to worry about it.

  
  
  


It’s a week later, they’re laying in Steve’s bed. They’re still tangled together and catching their breath in the afterglow. Steve absentmindedly traces a hand down Billy’s chest to his hip bone.

“We’re barely in May, how do you already have a tan line?” He asks, thumbing over the spot where the tan skin fades to light.

“Gotta take care of the garden everyday,” Billy murmurs. “My dad’s big on chores...says they teach responsibility. I can’t leave until everything’s done.”

Steve hums quietly in acknowledgement, and goes back to running his hands over Billy’s body as they doze off. They’ll deal with their sticky skin later.

  
  
  


It isn’t until the first time Steve sees Billy’s room that he realizes there might be more to gardening than just keeping Billy’s dad happy.

He’s there with Nancy and Jonathan, all three of them wearing their best “meet the parents” clothes. Billy suppresses a grin when he answers the door, obviously wanting to make fun of Jonathan for wearing one of Steve’s polos. They all politely explain to Mr. Hargrove that they have a group project they need to work on at the library, and can Billy stay out for dinner after?

Mr. Hangrove gives them a suspicious look, but facing three innocent (and admittedly preppy) teenagers, he agrees. They pretend not to hear him mutter to Billy about good kids and how he hopes they would rub off him for once. 

Steve also suppresses a comment about rubbing off on Billy multiple times a week.

“I need to grab my notebook and some money. My room’s this way,” Billy says.

They follow him immediately, not wanting to be stuck under Neil Hargrove’s heavy stare.

As soon as they enter Billy’s room, Jonathan makes a beeline for his music collection. Nancy pokes through his closet and laughs about the number of too-small shirts she finds. Billy begins gathering his school supplies. Even if they are just going to watch a movie, they need to keep up appearances.

Steve finds himself drifting across the room. On the window sill are several small, strange plants in little pots. He has never seen anything like them before, and finds himself reaching out to touch one to make sure it is real.

“Let’s roll,” Billy calls, stuffing his wallet and keys into the pockets of his jeans.

Nancy and Jonathan breeze into the hallway, calling a goodbye to Max and a nice to meet you to Mr. Hargrove.

Billy puts a hand on Steve’s shoulder, and follows his gaze.

“Those are succulents. They grow all over in Cali, don’t need a lot of water or attention.”

Steve nods, quietly filing that information away. “Let’s go,” he grins, pulling out of Billy’s grasp. “We have a very important project to work on.”

Billy just laughs and follows him out to the car.

  
  
  


As the weather continues to warm up, they find themselves driving the kids to the park for some sort of dramatic D&D reenactment that looks a lot like preteens playing pretend in public.

They spend most of that time lounging in the sun, halfheartedly working on their homework while they wait for the kids to wear themselves out.

When Steve is struggling through a worksheet on the parts of speech, he glances up to find Billy plucking daisies out of the flowerbed next to them. 

Steve’s eyes catch on the focused but soft look on his face. 

He totally forgets about his homework as he watches Billy twine and tie the stems together.

“What are you doing?” he asks softly.

His heart aches a little when he sees Billy’s shoulders tighten on reflex.

“Max is supposed to be some queen. I’m making her a crown.” His voice is level, but Steve can see the tension in his posture.

Steve forces himself to look back at his homework and keep his tone nonchalant. “Cool.”

Max bounds over so Billy can plop the flower crown on her wild red hair. If Billy catches the infatuated grin on Steve’s face, he doesn’t comment on it.

Billy does, however, jam a flower behind Steve’s ear with surprisingly gentle fingers.

  
  
  


Steve knows he isn’t that smart, but he’s starting to get an idea.

It’s the end of May, one week from graduation, and he and Billy have been hooking up for two months now. He knows it’s silly, but all month long he’s been lying awake at night imagining what it would be like to call Billy his boyfriend. 

It’s ridiculous. Assuming he could get the request out (assuming  _ Billy _ would say yes), nothing would change. Publically they can’t be out, and privately they’ve been exclusive anyway. There just aren’t that many gay guys in Hawkins for either of them to hook up with.

But Steve finds himself craving that label anyway.

So, he decides to try something new.

  
  
  


He spends hours at the florist, bouncing between the big expensive bouquets and the small standard sized ones. He knows the giant sprays of flowers are over the top, but he still feels the urge to buy them. 

Finally snatching a smaller bunch with all kinds of colorful flowers, he promises himself that if this all goes well, he’ll come back for a big bouquet next time.

Because of the situation with their parents, all of their hangouts (dates?) happen at Steve’s house. When Billy knocks on his front door at exactly 7 o’clock, Steve does his best to not rip the door off its hinges in his anxiety.

Said anxiety only heightens when he sees Billy’s patented sultry smile. It melts to a blank stare when Steve offers him the bouquet. Steve finds himself staring back, unable to utter a single word. 

Billy takes the flowers slowly, face still frozen with surprise. He looks from them, to Steve, and back again.

Steve offers him a weak, unsure smile. He feels like kicking himself. Billy clearly thinks it’s weird, and probably doesn’t even like him like that-

Billy edges into the house and nudges the door shut with his boot. He looks at Steve, and Steve can’t figure out his expression, isn’t sure he wants to, stares at his hands so he won’t have to see the rejection that’s coming-

“Can I put these in a vase while I’m here?” Billy asks softly.

Steve startles at the request.

“Right! Uh, yeah,” he stumbles over the words and scrambles into the kitchen to fill a vase with water. 

He can’t remember the last time he was this nervous. 

When he turns away from the sink, Billy is right there, steadying Steve's hands. Steve hadn’t even noticed them shaking. Billy tucks the flowers inside and sets them on the counter behind Steve.

Steve forces himself to look at Billy’s face. Billy looks just as nervous as Steve feels, tongue flitting out to lick his lips in a gesture that isn’t provocative for once.

Steve can’t take the awkward silence anymore, so he just blurts it out.

“I want to be your boyfriend.” He plows ahead, trying to ignore Billy’s sharp intake of breath. “I just really like you and I want to make you happy. And I know you like gardening and plants so I figured you might like flowers. I was going to get you roses but they seem so boring and you deserve bright things and-”

Billy saves him from himself by yanking Steve into a tight hug. Steve can feel both of them shaking and shuts his mouth immediately.

“...No one’s ever given me flowers before.”

“...Really?” 

“Never had a boyfriend before either.”

Steve can’t answer him. His mind is racing. It feels like his heart is in his throat, choking him. What does that even mean? Is that a no?

“Yeah,” Billy whispers.

“...Yeah?” the word comes out strangled. 

Billy clears his throat. “Yeah, yes. To all of it, the boyfriend and the flowers.”

“Ohthankgod,” Steve breathes. He clings to Billy and feels him hold on with an equally bruising grip. 

They stay there for several minutes, just breathing each other in.

Finally, Billy pulls himself away and forces a cocky grin. It still looks a little besotted and overwhelmed.

“Didn’t you say your parents just bought you an Atari? Bet I can kick your ass, princess.”

Steve gratefully takes the subject change, but makes sure to hold his  _ boyfriend’s _ hand as he leads him into the den.

  
  
  


That weekend, Steve dresses up a little more than usual and knocks on the Hargrove’s door. He cheerfully explains to Mrs. Hargrove that their study group is getting together for a little celebration since they all passed their finals just in time for graduation. She invites him to come in while she checks with her husband.

Mr. Hargrove eyes him suspiciously, but ultimately decides that Billy can go as long as he’s back by seven.

“Thank you, sir!” Steve practically chirps. “Let’s go Billy. Nancy and Jonathan are waiting for us!”

They rush out to the Beemer as quickly as they can without looking suspicious.

As soon as they pull around the corner, Steve cranks up his music and rolls down his window. Billy rolls his down too without prompting and stretches out in the passenger seat.

“Where are we going, princess?” He asks lazily.

Steve grins at him. “You’ll see.”

Once they hit the main road, Steve turns his hand palm up on the gear shift.

He fails to suppress another grin when Billy’s fingers tangle easily with his own.

  
  
  


Fifteen minutes out of town, Steve pulls off onto a dirt road. Billy glances around with fake suspicion.

“Taking me into the woods to kill me? Man, I thought I had another month before we got to this point.”

Steve shakes his head in mock sadness. “If you weren’t such a mouthy shit you probably  _ would  _ have had another month.”

Billy shoves his shoulder and laughs, until the trees open up around the car and his breath catches in his throat.

The road ends just inside a beautiful meadow, oval in shape. The trees tower around the outside like a natural fence. There is a wooden picnic table just off the dirt road, but the rest of the clearing is full of beautiful wildflowers. Steve has no idea what they’re called, but clusters of blues, yellows, pinks, whites, and purples are everywhere in the lush green field.

They have  _ nothing _ on the look on Billy’s face.

Everything about him screams uncertainty. From the hand tightened reflexively around the door handle, to the wrinkle between his eyebrows, to the tension holding his jaw, Billy looks  _ vulnerable _ .

Steve gives him a soft smile. “Go on, baby. I’ve got a blanket in the back, lay it out wherever you want.”

Billy watches Steve for a moment before slowly opening the door and climbing out. He doesn’t grab the blanket, or the bag of food Steve packed. He just closes his door. He stands with his back to the car, but doesn’t move. Steve can see him through the open window, just staring at the blooming plants around them. He looks away when he sees tears glimmering in his boyfriend’s eyes.

He waits another minute or two, letting Billy have a moment to himself. He snags the blanket and plastic sack and climbs out of the car. The door shuts quietly behind him, but it’s enough to get Billy’s attention.

Billy looks at him with what can only be described as  _ wonder _ . He blinks away his tears and reaches out for Steve as he comes around the front of the BMW. Steve catches his hand easily and takes a moment to look directly into Billy’s eyes.  __

_ Are you okay? Is this too much? _ He tries to ask with his eyes.

Billy’s lips slowly curve into that small, shy smile that Steve loves. He’s only seen it twice now, but it’s steadily becoming his favorite.

“C’mon,” Steve says softly. “Pick out a spot for us.” 

Billy hesitates a little longer. When he moves, it’s carefully around the clusters of flowers and into a patch of grass. It’s hardly big enough for their blanket, but Billy seems intent on not squashing the flowers. Once the blanket and the bag of food are settled, Billy lays down and tugs Steve with him.

They spend hours in that meadow. They barely talk. They nearly forget to eat. Steve isn’t normally one for nature, even in a rare patch of woods that feels safe.

None of that matters when Billy is happier than Steve has ever seen.

He watches Billy run his fingers over the different petals. He watches Billy tip his face up to the sun and bask in the warmth. He watches Billy doze off, body loose and easy among the grass.

He watches Billy and falls in love.

  
  
  


They are reluctant to leave when the sun starts to set. Steve feels guilty for being the one to point out the time, but he doesn’t want to navigate the dirt road in the dark.

After one notable incident, he also doesn’t want to make Billy late for curfew.

Billy lingers for a moment outside of the car. He looks torn. Finally, he looks at Steve across the hood.

“We can come back, right?” 

Steve’s heart aches for all the things buried in that quiet little question.

“Yeah, baby. We can come back.”

As they drive away, Steve can’t help but notice the way the tension returns to Billy’s body.

  
  
  


The first weeks of summer hit them hard. Both boys are forced to get jobs that severely cut into their free time. When they do finally get off of work, the kids beg for game nights and movie nights and other adventures that they need a ride to. 

When they finally have time to go back, it’s a Tuesday near the end of June. Miraculously, both boys have the day off. The kids are scattered between summer camps and family visits and dates. They are finally free for a day.

Billy drives this time, picking Steve up from his house at nine in the morning. They are better prepared for a long visit this time, with a loaded cooler of food and water.

They set up in the same place as before and settle in. Steve prepares himself for another quiet day, basking in his boyfriend’s presence.

This time though, Billy seems more centered. The meadow seems to make him feel settled, rather than overwhelmed. He focuses on Steve with such an unwavering gaze that it makes Steve shiver.

“Hey, baby,” Steve finds himself whispering.

Billy gives him a warm smile and leans over Steve to play with his hair. “Hey.”

Steve shifts a little to get comfortable and is surprised when Billy wedges himself between his thighs. Before he can comment on it, Billy is cupping his jaw and leaning in for a kiss.

Steve relaxes into it immediately. He slides his hands up into Billy’s curls and opens up for Billy’s tongue. Their movements are languid, tongues gliding against each other as they press their bodies close together.

After a while, Billy pulls away to rest his forehead against Steve’s. The air around them feels warm and sweet. Steve releases Billy’s hair and wraps his arms tightly around his waist. They lay there for a while, content to listen to each other’s breathing.

  
  
  


Steve manages to forget that they are flush against each other from chest to thigh until Billy begins a slow roll of his hips against Steve’s. He gasps a little at the wave of heat that passes through him.

“Baby?” He meant to ask a question there but he can’t quite string the words together.

The heated, determined look in Billy’s eyes feels different.

“I’m ready, Steve.”

Steve can’t help the groan that escapes his mouth as blood rushes to his cock. For all the things that they  _ had _ done together, they never had full on sex. At first he thought it was some sort of line Billy had with friends with benefits. He only asked about it once they were official.

Billy had given him that shy smile for the first time as he admitted he was still a virgin.

Steve knows Billy gets defensive when he thinks people are doubting him, but can’t help but ask, “Are you sure?”

Luckily, the nature surrounding him works wonders to keep him at ease. He keeps his intense focus on Steve and simply replies, “I’m sure.”

Steve forces himself to still Billy’s hips. “I didn’t bring-”

Billy cuts him off, lips twisting into a wry grin. “I did.”

He pulls himself away from Steve just long enough to snag a bag he had tucked into the top of the cooler. He fishes around for a moment before proudly holding up lube and a condom.

For all his bravado, there is still something vulnerable in the set of his shoulders. Something nervous in his eyes. So, Steve pulls Billy back into his arms and sets about kissing the fear out of him.

He’s not sure how long he spends, just kissing Billy and stroking his back. All he does know is that when Billy pulls away next, everything about him screams  _ want _ .

When Steve starts to undress himself, Billy is quick to follow.

After that, things take some maneuvering. Billy ends up on his back, curls fanned out in a halo and tangling with the leaves of a lavender plant. 

Steve spends a long time exploring Billy’s body with his hands and mouth. He’s done this before, but this time feels different. Even with the underlying heat thrumming through his veins, the air feels thick and sweet as honey. Something about the warmth of the sun combined with the smell of flowers and the buzz of bees makes Steve feel a little hazy.

He opens Billy slowly, slick fingers stretching and soothing as they go. He’s not sure how long it takes with time stretching thick and slow like taffy. He just knows that Billy keeps making these soft noises. He knows that he wants to hear more of them.

When Steve slowly withdraws his fingers, he makes sure to watch Billy’s face.

The love and trust there are humbling. If it weren’t for the slight tremor to Billy’s hands when they reached out to run through Steve’s hair, Steve would never know he was nervous.

Meeting Steve’s eyes, Billy gives a small nod.

Steve can’t help but kiss him then. His head is spinning. He can’t hang on to a single thought, but that doesn’t mean he wants to. All he wants is to feel Billy’s sun-warm skin on his own, the familiar way their tongues slide together, and pleasant tug of Billy’s hands in his hair.

He pushes in carefully then.

Everything that follows is a blur. Time oozes by as they twine together, finally connected as one. Steve feels like he’s moving through syrup, everything sweet and sticky and slow.

  
  
  


When they both finish, fingers desperately wound together, Steve can’t help but gasp.

“Love you. Love you, love you.”

He can barely hear Billy say it back over his own shuddering breaths.

  
  
  


After, basking in an afterglow only made warmer by the sunlight, he can’t help but brush kisses on every bit of available skin he can reach.

He’s starting to understand the appeal of nature.


End file.
